Get to know our speakers & panelists

Sahnah Lim, PhD, MPH, MIA (she/her) is an assistant professor who is leading the Gender Equity scientific track and Mental Health scientific track at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine's Department of Population Health, Section for Health Equity. As a health equity researcher, Dr. Lim conducts applied, community-engaged studies that seek to address gender-related health issues among hard-to-reach populations such as sex workers and immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, including among Asian American populations. Her research uses intersectionality and syndemics frameworks to understand how multiple marginalization impacts mental and sexual health outcomes.

Medha Ghosh is the Senior Policy Coordinator from Health at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) where they work closely with the organization's collaborative partners to tackle the health issues affecting the AAPI community in New York. Previously, Ghosh provided research and management support to several clinical studies at the University of Pennsylvania that focused on the implementation and evaluation of innovative telemedicine programs that aimed to make healthcare more accessible to marginalized communities. They received their Masters in Public Health from Emory University and Bachelor of Arts degree in an interdisciplinary study of Global Public Health from Bryn Mawr College. 

Dr. Crystal Han is currently a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at the Harvard UniversityHealth Services and at the Massachusetts General Hospital Child and Adolescent PsychiatryDepartment. She completed her BA at Cornell University and received her MD at the Universityat Buffalo School of Medicine. She completed her adult psychiatry residency and child andadolescent psychiatry fellowship at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt program. She isa recipient of the American Psychiatric Association SAMHSA Minority Fellowship. She also completed the Washington Baltimore Psychoanalytic Center’s Psychoanalytic Studies Program. She is particularly interested in the intersection of race, culture and identity on the mental wellbeing of Asian American youth and their families.

Andrew Subica is a health disparities researcher and associate professor of social medicine, population, and public health at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

His current research addresses the intersection of health and mental health disparities among vulnerable populations including indigenous-colonized groups and other persons of color, individuals with psychiatric disabilities, survivors of trauma, individuals experiencing homelessness, and refugees. He is particularly concerned with improving evidence-based treatments, services, and public policies for underserved individuals using community-based participatory action research, deliberative, and mixed methodologies. Other areas of study include cultural trauma, multiracial identity and well-being, clinical assessment, and spirituality for culturally responsive stress coping and wellness. 

Tara Kan (she/her) is currently a Sociology PhD student and a Research Assistant for the Institute for Asian American Studies at UMass Boston. She completed her master's degree in Applied Sociology in 2023 and her bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in Political Science in 2021. Tara is extremely passionate about AAPI issues, especially with regards to education, identity, and mental health. For her honors thesis, she wrote about the Asian American achievement gap and how to dismantle the model minority myth. Additionally, she was the President of the Asian Cultural Society at Eastern Connecticut State University. Tara is currently working on a study pertaining to AA mental health challenges prior to and since the onset of Covid-19. 

Subha Bolisetty is Statewide Program coordinator for NAMI NJ's multicultural program SAMHAJ -South Asian mental health awareness in Jersey.  She is also a family support group facilitator, State trainer, Ending the Silence presenter. Subha is a parent advocate works along with many other disability advocates to bring change, she is passionate about inclusion and eradicating stigmas around disability and mental health. 

I have worked in US past 32 years as a Clinician, and as Psychiatric Screener for 22 years screening in ERs and the community. I also work as Family Specialist for Mental Health Association. Most of my work is coaching families during crises, training police in Crisis Intervention Training, and advocacy for consumers and families with mental health system. I was recognized in 2022 as provider of the year by NAMI-NJ. I have a private practice. As a family member I know what it means to carry the burden and responsibility all family members carry - I provide empowerment and try to uplift and increase resilience.

Bio Coming Soon!

I became a member of NAMI New Jersey since 2016. I have an adult son who has been suffering metal illness since 2015. I got to know NAMI NJ through CAMHOP where I started attending my first family support group meeting.  With NAMI New Jersey and CAMHOP’s family support programs, I met many other families and learned lot skills to be a better caregiver and I feel I am not alone.  After graduated from the Family to Family class in 2016, I became a trained Family to Family instructor. I am a college professor and computer scientist working in a major public university in New York City.  I live in Hunterdon County New Jersey with my lovely family and have a dog and two grand kids.

Gabriela Fullon is a second generation Filipino American licensed mental health counselor and educator raised on Ramapough Lenape land in the Hudson Valley, NY.  She came to this work after 10 years of working with families and students in educational, non-profit, and movement spaces and from her own family's history of migration and grief.  In her private practice, Buenviaje Counseling, she works with individuals and couples exploring intergenerational trauma, attachment, grief, issues of identity, self worth, and chronic pain amongst other topics.  She currently develops mental health programming for the Hunter College AANAPISI Project, has taught in the Hunter College Asian American Studies Program and served as a board member and organizer for the Education for Liberation Network and their conference, Free Minds Free People. 

Kauka Keali’iokamalu Kauahi (Dr. Keali’i Kauahi) is a Haku Ho’oponopono and a Clinical Psychologist. He received his Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) with an emphasis in Multicultural Psychology. Though born in Hawaiʻi and raised in California, his wahi pana is where his piko is buried, in the lehu ʻula of Makakilo. Kealiʻi is a previous offensive lineman for the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Rainbow Warriors and has been studying Hoʻoponopono for 7 years under Haku Dennis Kauahi and Haku Earl Kawaʻa. Kealiʻi is dedicated to serving Kānaka Maoli through his extensive training. As an embodiment of his dedication to the perpetuation of Kānaka Maoli culture, Kealiʻi recently published the first ever psychological, Doctoral Dissertation in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in 2023 (No Nā Hanauna Hou: Ke Ala o Ke Ola Mai Nā Kūpuna). He intends to open a private practice where Kānaka Maoli healing practices will be offered such as Hoʻoponopono, Lāʻau Lapaʻau, Lomilomi, and the addition of Eurocentric therapy. He is currently working for Hui Mauli Ola in service of the residents of the Lahaina Fires.

Robin Mele (they/them) is a licensed creative arts psychotherapist and dance/movement therapist. They currently work at a public city hospital on an inpatient psychiatric unit with children 5-13 years old. As a biracial and nonbinary person of Taiwanese ancestry, their work foregrounds intersectionality and the flexibility to explore the in-between. Creatively, Robin also has a background in various forms of movement, including dance, yoga, and ice skating, which allows them to communicate with patients in ways that traditional psychotherapy does not utilize. They have spoken on numerous panels and podcasts about their identity, their work, and how they strive to incorporate social justice and abolition into their practice.

Daniel B. Tanh, LCSW (he/him/his) is a Chinese American take-out kid, son of Cambodian Chinese refugees, Brooklyn resident, Philadelphia native, and current student in the Doctorate of Clinical Social Work Program at NYU Silver. He received his BA in Biological Basis of Behavior and Science, Technology, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania, and he received his MSW from NYU Silver. He centers social justice as a core value and believes that mental health is about individual and community wellness. He brings compassion and insight from his clinical and leadership experiences partnering with people in youth and volunteer programs, ACT, PROS, OnTrackNY, and leading the Jewish Board’s Confronting Structural Racism initiatives. Currently, in addition to his psychotherapy, coaching, and consulting practice, he organizes with the New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health. He is also the Assistant Director of Learning Innovation at the NYU McSilver Institute, where he supports the training and growth needs of the New York mental health workforce, including the state's new Youth ACT teams.

Tristan Madeja Vizconde, LCSW (he/him) is a 1.5 generation Queer Filipino-American who recently started his own private practice and is also a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor at NYC Affirmative Psychotherapy. NYCAP is a Queer Black owned and BIPOC lead practice whose mission is to provide affirmative psychotherapy in a sustainable way to the community. Prior to his time at NYCAP, Tristan has worked in many socially focused organizations including APICHA which was originally known as Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS. Tristan started as a volunteer, then a peer-educator in their youth program, and finally the Community Health Education Coordinator for his last couple of years at the organization. He then decided to move on from non-profit and had a brief stint in the pastry world because chocolate is life. After further soul searching, Tristan decided to go back to school and got his MSW at Silberman School of Social Work: Hunter College. Outside of mental health, Tristan is half of an alaka’i (leader) pair for Na Pua Mai Ka Lani Nuioka, a hula hui (club) here in Queens, NYC. This hui’s goal is to perpetuate hula, Hawaiian culture and their kumu’s teachings as best as they can since his passing in 2015.

Crystal obtained both her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW 2020) and Master of Social Work (MSW 2021) from CUNY Hunter College. Crystal's social work internships involved working at NORCs (Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities) in Chinatown, such as VNS's Chinatown NNORC and Hamilton Madison House's Smith Senior Services. 
In spending time with the senior population, Crystal gained an understanding of the value and the need for companionship and community for her clients. Through those opportunities, this led Crystal to gain an interest in mental health topics such as self-care, intergenerational trauma, social isolation, and seniors with anxiety and depression. 

Crystal also participated in HCAP's (Hunter College AANAPISI (Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions) Project) Asian American Studies Oral History Project that explored Asian American history and Asian American Studies (AAS) history at Hunter - the efforts and what was at stake in fighting for AAS curriculum and programming. The project touched upon themes of identity, racial justice, and oppression, which are some core aspects related to one's mental health. Crystal gained an appreciation for storytelling, representation, and a sense of collective purpose from that project.

Crystal currently works as a licensed social worker in NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Hospital Center as of this past year. Crystal works on an Inpatient Medicine unit, completing psychosocial assessments, making referrals for services, advocating for patients, providing supportive counseling, and meeting with the interdisciplinary teams daily to establish safe discharge planning for patients. 

Dr. Cao's research focuses on the health of historically marginalized populations with a particular interest in violence and trauma. Her work aims to 1) examine how social and structural drivers shape inequity in exposure to violence/trauma and access to relevant health services from a gendered perspective; and to 2) understand the role of violence and trauma in stigmatizing mental and sexual health conditions (e.g., substance abuse, depression, and HIV) from the lens of intersectionality and syndemics. Currently, she is leading a project to understand multilevel factors associated with mental health service utilization in Asian Americans using a mixed methods design.

As a psycho-dynamically trained and Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Dr. Kuang provides person-centered, trauma informed psychotherapy and medication management with an intersectional and decolonized lens.

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She completed her graduate studies at Columbia School of Nursing. With over 10 years of professional experience comprising of translational research, health informatics, clinical teaching and clinical practice, Dr.Kuang seeks to address the gaps in understanding and addressing implicit bias in healthcare providers, trauma-informed care, intersectionality and ethnic identity formation as pertains to improving quality of and access to mental health care for people of color with a focus on Asian-Americans. Dr.Kuang has experience in sexual health, geriatric psychiatry, working with HIV positive LGBTQ+ youth, and Asian American community.

Dr.Kuang has extensive experience in treating and teaching about trauma.  She was recently a Mental Health Panelist for the 2022 National Summit Centering Needs of Immigrant Families for organization Children at Risk; a guest speaker on Spectrum NY1 news channel about Anti-Asian racial violence; and a guest speaker on a podcast for Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) concerning the impact of COVID19 on Mental Health Providers and clinicians.

Asuna is a trauma-focused therapist, burnout & stress management coach, and circle keeper with a strong passion for creating healing spaces in the world. With over 15 years of experience as a helping professional, she has extensive experience working with survivors of trauma and gender-based violence in the nonprofit sector.

Born in Japan and raised in both Japan and the Western world (UK & US), Asuna weaves their multicultural background into their work, harmonizing the ancient with the modern, art and science, as well as the heart (kokoro) and mind.

In addition to providing trauma-oriented psychotherapy, Asuna currently coaches purpose-driven professionals to overcome burnout and chronic stress so they can regain balance in their lives using her signature Arugamama with E.A.S.E.™ framework, a unique method that combines neuroscience, psychology, and indigenous Japanese wisdom.

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Asuna holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre from Elon University, NC, a Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University, NY, and a Masters equivalent in Drama Therapy from the North American Drama Therapy Association.

Yikai is a PhD student in counseling psychology at the Culture, Emotion, and Health Lab at New York University and a member of Mind & Life’s Young Adult Advisory Council. His research interests primarily focus on cognitive and emotional processes underlying adaptive coping and psychological well-being across cultures. His current constructs of interest include contemplative practices, emotion beliefs, psychological flexibility, insights, dialectical thinking, and acculturative and race-based stress. Currently, Yikai is interested in investigating emotion beliefs across cultures and how culture shapes emotion beliefs and influences the process of self-reflection. Additionally, he is interested in mapping out the underlying cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes of psychological flexibility and exploring how psychological flexibility influences coping with acculturative and race-based stress among ethnoracial minorities. He is also interested in ways to promote equitable access to quality mental health services among underserved communities on the individual level as well as the policy level. Yikai is committed to building lasting community partnerships and advocating for social justice in the mental health field and beyond.

Naiyi teaches Mindfulness, Mediation and Yoga practices in studios in New York and virtually.  Naiyi has been working as IT Project Manager and software consultant for the last 25 years in healthcare and supply chain.  She discovered yoga in 2009 as a way to manage stress, physical, mental and spiritual well-being. 

Naiyi is certified as a registered yoga teacher (RYT500) by the Yoga Alliance.  In 2020, she was certified as Meditation and Mindfulness teacher. Today, Naiyi collaborates with wellness partners to facilitate mindfulness sessions and workshops to promote physical  and mental health for workplace and various organizations.  

https://www.kindingsindaw.org/